“Shit!” She leaps backward and lands on the bed.
I stare at the mess on the floor. Will not be fun to clean. “Is this you trying to get away from me?”
She rolls her eyes. “Shut up, Asher.”
“No means no, biscuit. Coulda just told me.”
She throws my favorite pillow at me, which I dive to catch so it doesn’t land in the mess, barely avoiding the glass pieces. “Christ, woman! Don’t take it out on the pillows.”
She holds out her arms. “Give me that back. Just because we aren’t sleeping together doesn’t mean we can’t sleep together. This bed is hella comfy, and I’m still tipsy.”
“You can’t have my favorite pillow.”
She lifts an eyebrow. “Then can I have a T-shirt? Or do you want to sleep next to Bavarian Beer Maiden?”
“That depends. Does the beer maiden have it out for my pillows?”
She moves to throw another one, and I fold like a Japanese fan. “All right!”
After hopping over the larger pieces of glass and puddle of red, I reach into my closet and pull out an old T-shirt, then toss it her way. “You realize I have two other bedrooms, right?”
She snuggles into my pillows. “But I’m already in this one.”
I tilt my head at that non-answer. Is sleeping in the same bed the best idea? Will it be more awkward to point out that itisn’tthe best idea? While I dither, she holds up the black T-shirt I gave her and nearly suffocates from laughter. The shirt sports a print of a corgi riding a T-Rex against the backdrop of a sparkling rainbow. When she catches her breath, she turns it to face outward. “Why? Just why?”
“I dunno. Thought it was funny.” I head into the bathroom to provide her ample time to change, my stomach tying itself into pretzel-like knots. What if a single flash of her body destroys what I’m trying to protect? I can’t allow that.
Also can’t allow myself to slip into denial.
I ampainfullyattracted to her right now. It’s never been this potent before. When I’m clearheaded, I can objectively admit she’s beautiful without wanting to dive deep under her clothes. It’s just the alcohol, though, which is fast fading from my system. Once the judgment-altering substance is out of my blood, everything will be back to normal.
I reemerge in my pj’s and throw a towel over the wine mess. I’ll clean it tomorrow. She’s already settled onto one side of the bed, cozied up with my favorite pillow. Little thief.
Repayment will come in the form of changing the autocorrect in her phone tomorrow. Every time she types “lol” her phone will correct to “Titty” and she’s far too tech-dumb to fix it without help.
Which I will not provide.
A chuckle escapes as I imagine it, slipping under the covers on my side of the bed. The lights dim at the press of a button on my bedside table.
“Hey, Asher,” she whispers into the silence.
“Mmm?”
“Everyone’s going to think we slept together. They saw us leave together.”
“I’ll just tell them you came to your senses and shot me down. Trust me, they’ll believe it.”
She laughs and pinches my wrist. I jerk away with a yelp.
“Be serious,” she says.
“It’ll be fine, Joss. No one cares in the end.”
She hums. “I don’t think that’s true, but I’m too tired to care right now.”
“Go to sleep.”
We fall asleep on opposite sides of the bed.
